> You are trying to install in EFI mode, and while you initially had an
> EFI system partition,

how could you tell I originally had an EFI partition? I don't remember
deleteing it. I did reformat the drives I am trying to install on.

there is a mmcblk device (32G), an M.2 SSD (250G) and an 80G spinner
(HDD). I don't recall any of these having an EFI partition but I do
remember erasing the drives so that probably caused the problem.

> it appears that you deleted it. You need to have
> one to install in EFI mode.
>

I don't do a lot of installations so forget the pre-reqs.

can i simply create an EFI dir at the top level or must it be a partition?
Is there something simple I can look at that pulls all the basics of EFI
installs together?

I can see from your partman log file. No, the ESP must be a partition and must be flagged as an ESP and use fat32. The installer will take care of setting one up for you if you choose the auto partition option.